


...a little too tall, could've used a few pounds...

by Fenix21



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Big Brother Dean, Episode: s11e04 Baby, Guilt, M/M, Schmoop, episode coda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 20:06:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7068163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fenix21/pseuds/Fenix21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Mark took its toll on both of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	...a little too tall, could've used a few pounds...

**Author's Note:**

> Shamelessly inspired by my man Seger and Dean's adorable lip synching to lyrics that so perfectly describe Sam. And look! I wrote something SHORT!

 ‘Dean, I’m fine. Really.’

‘Wish you’d just let Cas fix you up,’ Dean grumbled for the third time as his hands trailed over the bruises on his brother’s back.

‘Dude, the guy’s worn thin enough. There’s nothing major here that a day or two of schlepping around the bunker won’t cure,’ Sam said.

‘Yeah? Well, you insisted he fix me.’

‘That’s ‘cause it’s you.’ Sam smiled gently and Dean scowled all the harder.

‘What about that knee?’

‘It’s just bruised. Trust me. A little ice and I’m good as new.’

‘You’re sure. Because, dude, joints are not something to mess with in our line of work.’

Dean hunkered down at Sam’s feet to take another look at the purpling mark all along the outside of the aforementioned joint, and Sam smirked at the popping from Dean’s own knees, ‘Says the man who very nearly limps every time it rains.’

‘Hey.’ Dean smacked Sam’s thigh. ‘I’m older than you. I’m allowed.’

Sam rolled his eyes and tried not to flinch as Dean prodded the bruise and all around the joint. It was pretty sore, and if it got worse Sam would ask Cas to do something about it. He would. But the angel was still in considerably poor condition and just healing Dean of his own set of lacerations and bruising had taken a visible toll on him.

‘Whatever, man.’

Dean smoothed his hands over Sam’s bare legs, mid-thigh to his ankle, telling himself he was testing the bones, checking for tender spots that Sam wasn’t letting on about, but the truth was it felt damn good to have Sam under his hands. It had been…awhile, and Dean was noticing a little more every day the toll the Mark had taken on his baby brother, no matter the fact it was Dean wearing it.

‘Stand up,’ Dean commanded, rising and offering his hand.

‘What? Dean…’

‘Stand. Up. I want to see you put your full weight on it.’

‘Dean, c’mon, I’m—.’

‘You say you’re ‘fine’ one more time, and I’m callin’ Cas in here and having him work his magic even if I have to tie you down,’ Dean said.

Sam sighed in resignation and stood up. He tried hard not to wobble, but the knee _was_ sore, and they hadn’t had a chance to eat yet other than some gas station food Dean had grabbed on the way home, so he was a little lightheaded. He’d insisted on driving straight through, said there was no way he was leaving his baby sit for a night in some motel parking lot with the state she was in.

Dean steadied him and frowned hard until Sam equalized his weight and let go of Dean’s supporting arm to stand on his own.

‘Happy?’

Dean took a step back, eyes roving over Sam’s bare chest, the way the ribs were all showing through the skin, how his collar bones protruded sharply, and his hipbones stood out prominently at the waistband of his boxers. Sam was lean and muscled. There was no doubt his body was strong, but there wasn’t a scrap of fat on it, not an ounce of anything extra besides skin and bone and muscle. Worry had eaten it all away.

Sam’s irritated, pinch-faced scowl degenerated to confusion and then worry as his brother stood silent in front of him, his own frown devolving into a soft-eyed, somehow pained look.

‘Dean?’

Dean gave himself a bit of a shake and stepped forward, hands going to mold around the too harshly defined bones of Sam’s hips. ‘You could use a few pounds, you know.’ His voice was rough-soft, catching a little on the lump of sorrow buried deep in his throat. ‘Lay off those damn smoothies and eat some steak.’

‘Dean.’ Sam covered Dean’s hands, smoothed his palms up Dean’s arms, felt the tremble in them, grasped the back of his neck and used his thumbs under Dean’s jaw to gently push his chin up so they were eye to eye. ‘Dean, I’m okay.’

Sam meant it as more than just an affirmation of his current state of well-being, and he knew his brother knew it. Dean nodded and came forward, wrapping Sam in a fierce hug. Sam huffed a surprised breath and then easily settled his arms around Dean’s shoulders and his cheek against the top of his head. It never ceased to amaze him in moments like this, how much smaller Dean was than him, had been for years, and yet Sam rarely noticed because Dean’s enormous strength of spirit and infinite capacity to love in the face of so many of Sam’s flaws made him seem like the biggest man in the world to his little brother.

‘You friggin’ giant,’ Dean whispered as Sam curved himself closer and engulfed his brother in an equally fierce hug; but Sam could feel Dean’s smile against his skin and his own answering one spread across his face.

‘Yeah. We’re okay,’ Sam murmured.


End file.
